1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to data storage systems of the type that include a housing having an opening for receipt of a removable disk cartridge in which an information recording medium is mounted for protection. More particularly, but without restriction to the particular embodiments hereinafter described in accordance with the best mode of practice, this invention relates to a cartridge loading apparatus for respectively loading and unloading a removable disk cartridge on and off a magnetically clamped spindle interface for rotation relative to read-write head while in a loaded position.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The demand for mass data storage continues to increase with expanding use of data processing systems and personal computers. Optical data storage systems are becoming an increasingly popular means for meeting this expanding demand. These optical data systems provide large volumes of relatively low-cost storage that may be quickly accessed.
In optical disk systems, coded video signals, audio signals, or other information signals are recorded on a disk in the form of information tracks on one or both planar surfaces of the disk. At the heart of an optical storage system is at least one laser or other light source. In a first operating mode, the laser generates a high-intensity laser beam that is focused on a small spot on an information track of a rotating storage disk. This high-intensity laser beam raises the temperature of the recording surface of the material above its Curie Pointxe2x80x94the point at which the material loses its magnetization and accepts the magnetization of the magnetic field in which the disk is placed. Thus, by controlling or biasing this surrounding magnetic field, and allowing the disk to cool below its Curie Point in a controlled magnetic environment, information may be recorded on the disk in the form of xe2x80x9cpitsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmarksxe2x80x9d on the recording medium.
Subsequently, when the operator desires to reproduce or read the previously recorded information, the laser enters a second operating mode. In this mode, the laser generates a low-intensity laser beam that is again focused on the tracks of the rotating disk. This lower intensity laser beam does not heat the disk above its Curie Point. The laser beam is, however, reflected from the disk surface in a manner indicative of the previously recorded information due to the presence of the previously formed pits or marks, and the previously recorded information may thereby be reproduced. Since the laser may be tightly focused, an information processing system of this type has advantages of high recording density and accurate reproduction of the recorded information.
The components of a typical optical system include a housing with an insertion port through which the user inserts the recording media into the drive. This housing accommodates, among other items, the mechanical and electrical subsystems for loading, reading from, writing to, and unloading an optical disk. The operation of these mechanical and electrical subsystems is typically within the exclusive control of the data processing system to which the drive is connected.
Within the housing of a conventional system that uses disk cartridges, a turntable for rotating a disk thereon is typically mounted on the system baseplate. The turntable may include a spindle having a magnet upon which a disk hub is mounted for use. The magnet attracts the disk hub, thereby holding the disk in a desired position for rotation.
In optical disk systems, as discussed above, it is necessary to magnetically bias the disk during a writing operation by applying a desired magnetic field to at least the portion of the disk being heated by the laser during the writing (recording or erasing) operation. Thus, it is necessary to mount a magnetic field biasing device where it may be conveniently placed in close proximity to the disk surface when the disk is held in position by the magnet associated with the spindle.
A variety of media or disk types is used in optical data storage systems for storing digital information. For example, standard optical disk systems may use 5xc2xc inch disks, and these optical disks may or may not be mounted in a protective case or cartridge. If the optical disk is not fixedly mounted in a protective cartridge, an operator manually removes the disk from the protective case. The operator would then manually load the disk onto a loading mechanism, using care to prevent damage to the recording surface.
Alternatively, for purposes of convenience and protection, a disk may be mounted within an enclosure or a cartridge that is itself inserted into the insertion port of the drive and is then conveyed to a predetermined position. These disk cartridges are well known in the computer arts. The disk cartridge includes a cartridge housing containing a disk upon which data may be recorded.
To protect the disk when the cartridge is external from the drive, the disk cartridge typically includes at least one door or shutter that is normally closed. The cartridge shutter may have one or more locking tabs associated with it. The corresponding disk drive includes a mechanism for opening the door or shutter on the cartridge as the cartridge is pushed into the system. Such a mechanism may include a door link that makes contact with a locking tab, thereby unlocking the shutter. As the cartridge is inserted further into the drive, the shutter is opened to partially expose the information recording medium contained therein. This permits a disk hub to be loaded onto a spindle of a motor or other drive mechanism, and permits entry of a read-write head and a bias magnetic into the protective cartridge. The disk, when rotated by the drive mechanism, permits the read-write head to access all portions of the disk media.
To conserve space in optical storage systems, it is desirable to minimize the size required by the apparatus that loads a disk onto and unloads the disk from a spindle. Conventional loading and unloading devices vary depending upon the type of disk being used. A conventional disk loading and unloading system that uses disk cartridges is typically capable of automatically transporting a disk cartridge from a receiving port onto the spindle. When the disk is no longer required, a conventional disk loading and unloading system automatically unloads the disk from the spindle. A loading device for performing this loading and unloading of the disk is generally constructed so that during disk loading (i.e., when the disk is moved from an ejected position into the player and onto the spindle), the disk is moved horizontally, parallel to the baseplate and turntable, towards the turntable. When the disk has been positioned above the turntable, the disk is lowered vertically, perpendicular to the face of the turntable, onto the spindle. Once on the turntable, a spindle magnet attracts the disk hub fixed to the center of the media, thereby clamping the disk in a rotatable condition for read-write operations.
When an operator is finished using the disk, the operator initiates an eject operation. The most common solution for ejecting a cartridge and disk from a spindle is the technique used in most Japanese drives. In this type of disk unloading apparatus, a cartridge xe2x80x9cboxxe2x80x9d has four pins at its sides, and the pins ride in tracks in an adjacent sheet metal guide. During disk ejection, the cartridge box lifts the disk straight up and off the spindle. The apparatus then moves the disk horizontally, parallel to the baseplate and turntable, towards the disk receiving port in the front of the player. When the disk is thus lifted from the spindle during the unloading operation, it is necessary to generate sufficient upward force on the cartridge to overcome the magnetic clamping force holding the disk hub on the spindle magnet. The peak upward force required to overcome the magnetic clamping force may be produced by the manual operation of an ejection lever or by the activation of an electric ejection system.
In conventional electric ejection systems, wherein the disk cartridge unloading apparatus vertically lifts the disk cartridge to break the magnetic force between the spindle magnet and the disk hub, the electric ejection motor must generate a large load to effect removal of the disk cartridge. Consequently, when an operator opts to use the electric ejection system, a large motor having a large torque is required to generate sufficient vertical lifting force. Space must be reserved in the system housing to accommodate this large motor, thereby increasing the overall size of the housing for the cartridge-loading apparatus. In addition, the large motor consumes a considerable amount of power.
It is thus desirable to reduce the complexity of the disk player, while reducing the overall size of the player to facilitate the drive""s convenient use in computer applications. In order to be able to receive a 5xc2xc inch disk cartridge and yet be small enough to be conveniently used in conjunction with a personal computer, optical disk drives must use compact and carefully located mechanical and electrical subsystems.
With this in mind, it is desirable to reduce the size of the required ejection motor. One way to effect this result is to reduce the amount of force required to break the magnetic clamping force holding the disk hub on the spindle magnet. By reducing this required force, it is possible to use a smaller ejection motor in the player. Hence, a disk loading apparatus design wherein the disk is not vertically lifted off of the spindle magnet, but is, rather, xe2x80x9cpeeledxe2x80x9d from the magnet would be advantageous.
A conventional method that attempts to achieve this peeling action has the turntable and spindle swing down away from the disk. This method is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,511 granted to Marvin Davis. It would nevertheless be of benefit to design a drive wherein the disk is peeled from the spindle magnet.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to improve disk drives.
Another object of this invention is to mitigate the above-described problems and disadvantages by optimizing mechanical interaction of the component elements of an optical recording medium mounting apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to reduce the load required from a disk ejection mechanism during disk loading and unloading.
It is a further object of the present invention to utilize a minimum force for loading a data storage disk onto a drive spindle and for unloading a data storage disk from a drive spindle.
Yet another object of the present invention is to load and unload a disk cartridge in a disk drive while minimizing displacement between an upper position and a loaded position.
And still another object of this invention is to improve methods for operating a cartridge loading apparatus utilized in conjunction with a disk drive system.
Still yet a further object of this invention is to reduce the friction between moving component parts of a cartridge loading and unloading assembly and apparatus as utilized in a disk drive.
An additional object of the present invention is to employ a direct gear train for transmitting force among the component elements of a cartridge loading apparatus to thereby more effectively transfer and reduce the force needed to activate the moving component elements.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to improve the cartridge receiver of a cartridge loading apparatus as employed in a disk drive.
It is yet another object of the present invention to improve the baseplate and cartridge receiver latch of a cartridge loading apparatus as implemented in a disk drive.
Yet still a further object of this invention to optimize the mechanical interaction among the tiller, cam, ejection motor, cartridge receiver, baseplate, sliders, cartridge receiver latch, parking arm, and gear train in the cartridge loading apparatus of a disk drive so that frictional resistance is reduced and movement minimized.
And yet another object of the present invention is to improve methods of manufacturing a cartridge loading apparatus employed in conjunction with a disk drive system.
Still a further object of the present invention is to improve a cartridge loading apparatus with a tilting bias coil assembly for use in a disk drive.
Yet still another object of this invention is to improve the parking arm of a cartridge loading apparatus as employed in a disk drive.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention to optimize the mechanical interaction among the tiller, cam, ejection motor, cartridge receiver, baseplate, sliders, cartridge receiver latch, bias coil assembly, parking arm, and gear train in the cartridge loading apparatus of a disk drive so that frictional resistance is reduced and movement minimized.
Still another object of this invention is to improve the sliders of a cartridge loading apparatus as utilized in a disk drive.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to improve the tiller of a cartridge loading apparatus as employed in a disk drive.
And still yet another object of this invention is to improve methods for assembling the elements of a cartridge loading apparatus for use in a disk drive system.
These and other objects are attained in accordance with the present invention wherein there is provided a cartridge unloading apparatus for a disk drive having a cartridge loading end, a remote end, and a base plate. The apparatus is employed for tiltably unloading the disk from a spindle magnet with a peeling action. The apparatus includes a first slider having a forward end adjacent the cartridge loading end of the disk drive and a remote end adjacent the remote end of the disk drive. The first slider has only one S-shaped slot formed therein. A second slider having a forward end adjacent the cartridge loading end of the disk drive and a remote end adjacent the remote end of the disk drive is also provided. The second slider similarly has only one S-shaped slot formed therein.
According to one aspect of this invention, there is further provided a tiller having a first end and a second end. The first end of the tiller is swingably linked with the forward end of the first slider, and the second end of the tiller is swingably linked with the forward end of the second slider. In this manner, a first rotation of the tiller in a first direction about a tiller axis drives the first slider toward the cartridge loading end of the disk drive while driving the second slider toward the remote end of the disk drive, and a second rotation of the tiller in a second direction about the tiller axis drives the first slider toward the remote end of the disk drive while driving the second slider toward the cartridge loading end of the disk drive.
There is also provided a cartridge receiver for receiving a respective cartridge containing a disk with a central hub. The cartridge receiver is moveable between an upper position and a lower position when the sliders are driven by the tiller.
According to another aspect of this invention, there is further provided a first lifting pin and a second lifting pin associated with the cartridge receiver. The first lifting pin slidably fits into one of the S-shaped slots, and the second lifting pin slidably fits into the other S-shaped slot. The lifting pins are non-coplanar with a plane that is parallel to the ends of the disk drive and perpendicular to a base plate, and that passes through substantially the center of the spindle magnet.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the cartridge loading apparatus includes a stop cooperatively interacting with the sliders to prevent the sliders from further movement when the disk is fully loaded.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, the cartridge loading apparatus of either of the above embodiments further includes a first slider channel in which the first slider is slidably mounted and a second slider channel in which the second slider is slidably mounted. In this embodiment, the base plate includes one pair of substantially vertical slots in which the lifting pins are accommodated in a raising and lowering motion of the receiver.
According to another preferred aspect of this invention, a label end of the cartridge remains visible when the cartridge is loaded in the drive while contained and protected within the cartridge loading end of the disk drive for reading and/or writing. In this manner, an operator may write on the label, or attach other printed labels, to indicate what information is being stored thereon while the disk drive is operating.
In accordance with yet another aspect of this invention, there is also provided a disk drive system having-a spindle magnet, and a spindle motor adapted to operate in conjunction with any of the above embodiments of the cartridge loading apparatus according to this invention. In this system, rotation of the tiller in the first direction tiltably unloads the disk from the spindle magnet, and rotation of the tiller in the second direction tiltably loads the disk onto the spindle magnet with a raising and lowering motion.
According to still yet another aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of loading a disk onto and, alternatively, unloading a disk from a magnetically clamped spindle interface of a disk drive system having a front side and a rear side. This method includes steps of providing a cartridge receiver having a first lifting pin and a second lifting pin each respectively mounted on first and second sides of the cartridge receiver, and positioning a first slider and a second slider relative to the cartridge receiver, The first slider is slidably mounted in a first slider channel and the second slider is slidably mounted in a second slider channel. The method continues with the steps of providing one S-shaped slot in the first slider, providing one S-shaped slot in the second slider, and swingably attaching a tiller to the sliders so that the sliders move in opposite directions from each other and within their respective slider channels under the influence of the tiller. By rotatably attaching the tiller to the disk drive system at a tiller axis, the tiller axis is fixed relative to the disk drive system. The method then concludes with the steps of linking a cartridge receiver to the first slider and to the second slider by their respective S-shaped slots and permitting the sliders to move relative to each other and relative to the cartridge receiver, thereby causing the lifting pins to follow the slots in the sliders to alternatively raise and lower the cartridge receiver.
In one preferred embodiment of the method according to this invention, there is provided the further steps of minimizing the movement of the cartridge receiver along a first direction from the front side to the rear side of the disk drive system and, while performing the minimizing step, permitting the cartridge receiver to move substantially perpendicular to the first direction and to pitch about the lifting pins so that the cartridge receiver is tiltably raised and lowered when the movement of the sliders causes the lifting pins to follow the slots in the sliders to alternatively raise and lower the cartridge receiver.
In another preferred embodiment of this method, the permitting step includes inserting a disk cartridge into the cartridge receiver until a remote end of the disk cartridge releases a receiver latch thereby preventing the sliders from moving. The unloading of the disk from the magnetically clamped spindle interface of the disk drive system may advantageously include causing the tiller to rotate to activate the sliders to drive the lifting pins along the slots to thereby tiltably raise the cartridge receiver. In another embodiment of the present method, the tiller is manually activated to rotate thereby tiltably raising the cartridge receiver and unloading the disk. Alternatively, the tiller is caused to rotate by an electric motor to thereby tiltably raise the cartridge receiver and unload the disk.
According to yet still another aspect of this invention, there is provided an optical disc system adapted to be operated according to any of the above methods.
There is also provided a method of manufacturing a cartridge loading and unloading mechanism operatively associated with a disc drive having a housing with a cartridge loading end and a remote end. This manufacturing method includes the steps of placing in the housing a first slider having one first S-shaped slot formed therein so that a forward end of the first slider is adjacent the cartridge loading end of the housing and a remote end of the first slider is adjacent the remote end of the housing, placing in the housing a second slider having one second S-shaped slot formed therein so that a forward end of the second slider is adjacent the cartridge loading end of the housing and a remote end of the second slider is adjacent the remote end of the housing, and swingably connecting a first end of a tiller to the first slider and swingably connecting a second end of the tiller to the second slider so that rotation of the tiller in a first direction about a tiller axis drives the first slider toward the cartridge loading end of the housing while driving the second slider toward the remote end of the housing, and rotation of the tiller in a second direction about the tiller axis drives the first slider toward the remote end of the housing while driving the second slider toward the cartridge loading end of the housing. This manufacturing method further includes slidably connecting to the sliders a cartridge receiver having a first lifting pin and a second lifting pin associated therewith so that the first lifting pin fits slidably into the first S-shaped slot, and the second lifting pin fits slidably into the second S-shaped slot.
In order to achieve other objects of the present invention, there is alternatively provided a cartridge loading and unloading apparatus for removable disk cartridges, including a pair of sliders and a tiller. The tiller has two ends, one of which is swingably connected to the forward end of the first slider, and the other of which is swingably connected to the forward end of the second slider. Rotation of the tiller in a first direction about a tiller axis drives the first slider toward the cartridge loading end of the drive unit while driving the second slider toward the remote end of the drive unit, and rotation of the tiller in a second direction about the tiller axis drives the first slider toward the remote end of the drive unit while driving the second slider toward the cartridge loading end of the drive unit. As the first and second sliders move in opposite directions under the influence of the tiller, S-shaped slots in the sliders act on lift pins associated with the cartridge receiver to raise or lower the cartridge receiver.
To achieve still additional objects of the present invention, there is further provided in the alternative an apparatus for unloading a disk cartridge from a magnetic hub. In this embodiment, the apparatus includes a cartridge receiver having first and second lifting points which are located on opposite sides of the cartridge receiver and positioned to cause the cartridge receiver to tilt about a first axis when a force is applied to the lifting points to thereby move a first end of said cartridge receiver from a first position to a second position. This embodiment further includes a stop for impeding movement of the first end of the cartridge receiver when it has moved to the second position. The stop also provides a pivot point for movement of a second end of the cartridge receiver from a first position to a second position. The first and second lifting points in this embodiment may be provided by a first and second lifting pin on said cartridge receiver.
According to one aspect of this embodiment, there may be further provided a first slider having only one S-shaped slot formed therein, and a second slider having only one S-shaped formed therein. In this configuration, the first lifting pin is slidably contained within the S-shaped slot of the first slider and the second lifting pin is slidably contained within the S-shaped slot of the second slider. This embodiment may also further include a tiller arm having a first end connected to a first end of the first slider and a second end connected to a first end of the second slider.